Moussa Oumarou, Hannatou and Herrmann, Ludger
(2011)
Relationship between pedodiversity and
agro-phytodiversity on a zonal gradient
in West Africa.
In: Jahrestagung der DBG 2011: Böden verstehen - Böden nutzen - Böden fit machen, 03.-09.09.2011, Berlin.
Abstract
The major aim of the BMZ financed CODE-WA project is to increase agro-phytodiversity as an option to adapt to climate variability at the farm and village level on an agro-ecological gradient covering four sites: Niger (N-Sahelien), Mali (S-Sahelian), Burkina Faso (S-Soudanian), and Ghana (N-Guinean). In order to better taylor interventions it is necessary to understand the given agro-ecological diversity at these sites.
Therefore soils, ligneous vegetation as well as crop species and varietal diversity were studied. QuickBird satellite images as well as transects served as major mapping tools. Where possible participatory mapping was applied. The results of scientific and local knowledge were later confronted.
The results show that a number of gradients occur between the four sites. While rainfall is increasing towards the south, rainfall variability is doing so in the opposite direction. While soil and crop diversity are increasing towards the south, population density, land use and varietal turnover decrease in the same direction. Consequently not only increasing soil diversity is the decisive factor for agro-phytodiversity on this regional gradient, but more decisively climate via a longer vegetation period and higher average rainfall.
However looking closer, at the village level with the example of Warzou in Niger, shows that soil diversity is the main cause - via related land management - for the existing spatial variability in ligneous vegetation. Though farmers are aware of soil differences which are hardly mappable but influence crop performance, they are not necessarily able to respond with management decisions. In simple terms, they do not have land in the different terrain types and have to crop what they need on the land they have.
In conclusion, a relation between pedodiversity and agro-phytodiversity could be detected, however the extent is scale and site specific.
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